Michael Kay ruined what was otherwise a decent Friday night for me late in the game when he broke out the tragic number. You can probably figure out what a tragic number is, but I'll spell it out anyway, it's the opposite of a magic number. With the Sox win tonight, any combination of Yankee losses and Sox wins equaling 29 will officially eliminate the Yankees from playoff contention. 29.

Anyway, the Yanks managed to squeak out a win with their ace on the hill against a rookie pitcher who came in with an ERA north of 7.00. Good going, guys. My new favorite Yankee is Cody Ransom, who has two at bats (both when he entered as a defensive replacement for Giambi and accidentally came to the plate), and two home runs. Nady added a tack on shot to give Mo a little more breathing room. Even A-Rod looked good late, hitting doubles in the 8th and 9th innings to set up the Yanks to tie, go ahead and then put the game away. It'd be great if his bat came to life for the final 34 games.

Pavano is on the hill tomorrow against the Oriole's ace, Jeremy Guthrie. I feel compelled to watch, but I really, really don't want to. Pavano embodies everything I hate about professional athletes.

Player of The Game: Abreu, 5/5
Team Record: 68-59
Damon: Nada